It is unusual to have shingles without having chickenpox before.
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox, which is the varicella-zoster virus.
If you had chickenpox before, the virus that caused it may live on in the nerves linked to the spinal cord, in an inactive state. The virus becomes active again when there is a temporary decrease in the body’s immunity. It will then multiply and move along the nerve fibres to the skin supplied by them. Shingles then appears in the skin as a painful blistering rash.
The blisters usually will appear on one side of body, the buttocks and genitalia, or the face in the distribution of the nerve(s) supplying the area. This is in comparison to chickenpox where the rash is generalized, affecting both sides of the body.
Treatment for Shingles
Shingles tends to resolve spontaneously in a few weeks and seldom recurs. Treatment consists of painkillers, as well as cool compresses to help in drying the blisters. Anti-viral medications such as acyclovir, are usually given for severe cases of shingles, those with eye involvement or those who are very ill. If taken within the first few days of the attack, acyclovir can shorten the duration of the attack.
The shingles vaccine is recommended for healthy adults 50 years and older to prevent shingles and the complications from the disease.
